Folding tail belt hangers are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,996 and 4,063,669, to which incorporating reference is made.
The referenced '996 patent shows a hanger comprised of a one-piece body of plastic material having a hook portion and tail portion depending downwardly from the hook portion and foldable about the middle of the tail portion. The fold of the tail portion defines a transverse opening and the upper tail portion has a vertical opening contiguous with the transverse opening, the two openings jointly defining an "inverted T" opening.
The tail, while unfolded, is inserted through the frame of a belt buckle and the prong of the frame is inserted into the inverted T opening. The tail is then folded and a projection extending forwardly from the free end of the tail bottom portion is inserted into an opening in the tail upper portion, thereby locking the belt onto the hanger.
Belt manufacturer logo is imprinted on the hook portion and bar code data is typically applied to the rear of the hook portion.
The hanger of the '669 patent hanger has further facility for hanging so-called "stud buckle" belts, whereby the stud is inserted into an opening in the lower tail portion following tail folding and latching of the tail portions and the stud is thereby protected against scratching adjacent hung belts.
The assignee of the referenced, now expired patents, and of the subject patent application, recently has come to receive requests from belt manufacturers for a belt hangers of the type shown in the '669 and '996 patents, however, with a metal hook portion or a plastic hook portion of substantially greater thickness and rigidity than the tail portion.